Exclusive Interview on JamaicansRus: Oliver “Bobby” Jobson, author of Expanding the Boundaries of Self
Jamaican Author Discusses His Book
Containing a Unique Approach to
Expanding One’s Spiritual Awareness
By Olivier Stephenson
olivierhp@yahoo.com
A long time ago, Oliver H. Jobson – author, entrepreneur and former aide-de-camp to Jamaica’s first native-born Governor General, Sir Clifford Campbell – learned that writing about his experiences and thoughts gave him a yardstick toward summoning up and reflecting on the development of his own spiritual awareness.
As a young man, Jobson said, he had the gift of psychic memory (the memory of past lives) and was often called upon to share his insights with others. He also maintained a journal regarding his findings, but never pursued publishing an actual book until now.
According to his own admission, Jobson, who was raised a Roman Catholic says he wanted to become a priest, but questioned the teaching of his religion and eventually became disillusioned, and thus found himself being driven into what he says was a “lifelong search and study for truth and the nature ‘God.’” His search involved traveling the world researching different philosophies, cultures, religions and languages. He even interviewed academics, clairvoyants, mystics, astrologers, gurus, rabbis, priests, imams, dedicating his quest into an understanding of the “essence of being.”
His research took him into the “veiled realms” of life and included the study of Ontology (the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being); Theosophy (a philosophy professing to achieve a knowledge of God by spiritual ecstasy, direct intuition or special individual relations); Eastern philosophy; Kabbalah (a Jewish mystical movement based on a symbolic interpretation of the Scriptures which flourished from the 12th century or as an esoteric secret doctrine or form of occultism); UFOs and psychic phenomena.
In his book, Expanding the Boundaries of Self: Beyond the Limit of Traditional Thought, Discovering the Magic Within (Global Publishing Associates, $18.95, 224 pp), Jobson presents a theory of who mankind is, why we were
born and what our duty is in this life of ours. It proposes to the reader a “path to enlightenment” that will enable each one to reach their “greatest human potential.”
A significant aspect of the book, according to a media release, is that it “does not draw readers away from their respective religions,” but rather “it expands the consciousness beyond the limits of dogma and mindless acceptance.”
Expanding the Boundaries of Self, a media release declares, “will appeal to agnostics, atheists and those of many religions.” The word “God,” Jobson explains, “is not confined to any religion because it is a universal term, an acronym, referring to an organized intelligent cosmic energy that vitalizes this entire dimension of matter.”
According to Jobson, his book functions as a unique in-depth resource guide, consisting of thirty one chapters, divided into six sections, revealing a collection of “deep universal secrets,” veiled in simplicity; providing “profoundly insightful lessons” for personal development and mind expansion.
The author’s research into world cultures, deities and languages reveal our true identity as Super Beings . This journey makes reference to and introduces Sri Sathya Sai Baba, an Avatar who teaches Educare: that which brings out the latent divinity in mankind.
About his approach, Jobson says: “This technique, which I call Self Discovery Analysis (SDA), I developed for my personal use. After giving deep thought to the issues I believed were adversely affecting me, I began listing them and to my surprise, I discovered I had been carrying a backlog of issues, a load of baggage, relating to many uncomfortable and traumatic situations in my life, stemming from as far back as my childhood. (further details of this technique is explained in the book).
“As I delved deeper and practiced my technique of SDA, I began to rapidly expand my self-awareness. This naturally improved my self-confidence, and I gained more of an understanding of self, which contributed to expanding my boundaries of understanding. Through this practice, I gained a far greater degree of awareness about the intimate, personal and infinite aspects of my being.”
Oliver Herbert Jobson – familiarly known to many as “Bobby” – was born in Falmouth, Jamaica, May 16, 1946, to Gilbert “Sonny” Jobson and Mavis Craig Jobson., both now deceased. He was educated at Priory School and Munro College, from 1956-1964. In 1967, he graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, England, where he received the Queen’s Commission as an Officer and served in the Jamaica Defence Force until 1976 and attained the rank of captain. During his service he was seconded to then Governor General Sir Clifford Campbell as his aide-de-camp from 1970-1971.
In 1967, he graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, England, where he received the Queen’s Commission as an Officer.
Jobson’s entrepreneurial experience has included that of an executive producer of spiritual and popular music, directorships on a number of boards and head of an international procurement company.
As a philosophical poet, Jobson is the recipient of an award from the International Society of Poets in 2004.
Jobson lives in Florida and has been interviewed on a number of radio programs regarding his book and philosophy. He is a certified hypnotist, spiritual counselor and regularly presents the theme of his book as guest-speaker. He conducts seminars and workshops on the same theme. He has two grown children Kara and Kris.
A man who is always eager to talk, especially on matters of spiritualism, Jobson agreed to be interviewed at his home recently by JamaicansRUS.com.
How was the idea for your book conceived?
When I was about 18 years old, I had adults coming to me with their various issues and seeking my advice and opinion on issues that affected them, mostly on spiritual matters. This counseling continued over the years during which time I had many presentations and discussions with many individuals and groups on the veiled realms of life, reincarnation, UFOs and other esoteric topics. This also included requests from many individuals for
counseling. People from all walks of life; males, females, wives, husbands, the affluent, the poor, the young and the elderly; all over time sought my spiritual guidance to ease their challenges regarding their spiritual, personal or family affairs.
These many encounters, sessions and discussions resulted in them finding a synergy with my counseling. Over the years, many had asked me to put my philosophy in writing for posterity which I never ever did until 1979 when I began writing my first manuscript for an intended book that explained our purpose in life ― the reason why we are all living in this dimension. However, the material was too heavy for people to understand at the time. This is before New Age books and spirituality became so popular, so I never had it published.
In 1996 after going through a lot of personal trauma which included a change of career, I had a lot of free time and decided to spend my time constructively, not in the corporate arena, but in the literary world or academic world, and I started writing this book.
Coming back to the other book on our purpose, you said it was too heavy?
Well, it was in the ‘70s, the New Age movement and things like this was very underground, it was not yet a topic that was out in the open.
Well, don’t you think it was a little presumptuous on your part to think that other people wouldn’t be able to grasp it?
No, because I shared it with many people, including philosophy professors from US Universities, and they found it was just too heavy.
Too heavy in what sense?
It was just too deep. I mean, I had people who were academics, professors of philosophy from two well known US universities and they found it pretty complex. And I figured if they found it too deep then the average reader wouldn’t understand it.
So, it was not easy reading.
It was not easy reading. Remember, that was in the seventies when all this was not out in the open.
Have you ever thought about having it published now?
I would have to go through it again and do a lot of modifications because I’ve had so much experience and knowledge since then, especially my world travels and research into mysticism and other philosophies and cultures, and what have you, there would be a lot of modifications to make.
As you ventured into the study of ontology, and theosophy, eastern philosophy, religion, and so on, did your intellectual exploration take you into the study of Greek philosophy, as well?
No, no, I didn’t study Greek philosophy, because the purpose of my research was threefold: First, confirming what I remembered from my psychic memory, which I had as a young child …
Psychic memory?
Memories of past lives. Secondly, this God, [who] everybody prays to, was accessible by the clergy only, who claim they have the direct authority to God and I just found it very difficult to believe that, along with the thought that only Christians would go to heaven and everybody else to go to hell. And so I wanted to find out who and what this God was that appeared so biased.
And, thirdly, the concept of heaven and hell didn’t make any sense. It’s just unrealistic. It’s like a story that you tell kids, a bedtime story, but not for educated adults, not for people who think freely. Not for free thinkers. The concept just didn’t make sense. It was nonsensical. So, to try and find the truth, I started studying Eastern religions, Buddhism and Hinduism, Judaism, Taoism, metaphysics and joined the Free Masons where I could do research to find what they’re all saying. And the book is a culmination of all this research.
Were you always interested in other philosophies and …
I was always spiritual; there was not a time when I was not spiritual.
How do you explain the psychic memory that you said you had as a child, do you still have it?
Not as detailed. I mean, I still have glimpses of it but the older you get, is the more you become more self-conscious, which I explain in my book in one of the chapters, where you lose your innocence, your mind gets crowded and you tend to forget things of the past. But as a child and a teenager these were things that I remembered quite clearly, not in great detail, but still memories of previous lives.
You say psychic memory is of living previous lives?
Yes. Just like when you remember what you did yesterday or last week or last month or last year or ten years ago; it’s just that I remember previous lives. It’s just a memory.
Let’s talk about that some more, because I’m curious.
Who I was is really immaterial. Christianity is among the few religions and that do not believe in reincarnation. The whole world works on reciprocity. The whole universe works on reciprocity. So why shouldn’t man’s soul work on reciprocity? And what is man’s soul? The purpose of being born in this life and coming here for one life and dying and going to heaven or hell, I mean, is just nonsensical. What a waste. Where does the soul come from? Where is it going to? What is this thing about heaven and hell? If God is so good He must have had a flaw to have made hell and the devil. And God has no flaws. There is nothing greater than God, there’s nothing lesser than God, there is nothing other than God and God is not capable of doing anything lesser than perfection.
Well, according to Christianity hell was created by Lucifer.
If God created Lucifer and God knew that Lucifer had a flaw – it’s like looking at a computer with a flaw, that’s man’s work but not with God. He does not make imperfections or mistakes. Put it this way, what if God wanted to create something negative? Or, make something that has a negative flaw, it shows that He isn’t that perfect for Him to harbor negative thoughts. But, in fact, He is perfect. Therefore, the fault does not lie with God but with our perception, our inability to understand the magnificence of God’s wisdom.
How do you see God?
It’s explained in my book.
Well, for people who haven’t read your book yet …
They should make an effort to read it.
Well, could you talk about it a little bit?
Sure. The secret to understanding divinity lies in understanding the atom. The atom is the building block of the universe, because everything has atoms. Your speech is built of atoms; your thoughts emit atoms. The whole universe is a universe of light – and that’s a scientific fact – the whole universe is a dance of energy and God is depicted as light. Therefore, the light that the universe is, is synonymous with the depiction of God as light, the burning bush. Now, if you start from that premise and understand that the atom is the manifestation of that energy, that light manifesting in the physical form, comprises the third dimension; now take the atom and build on it. From there lays is the whole premise of my book which I explain and go into detail about the qualities of the atom.
This light that you speak of, is it the same light that your people talk about when they’ve had a near-death experience, of going towards a light?
Yes, yes, yes. All matter is light, is energy revolving at different levels of vibration and therefore appearing to manifest into matter. But it’s an illusion, it’s all energy.
Is that the same way you would explain the phenomenon of ghosts?
There are three dimensions – the physical or gross earth, the subtle atmosphere or mental plain and finally, the causal heaven or spiritual plain. As in the Lord’s Prayer, As in heaven so it is on Earth. The physical body is the image and likeness of God. I mean, as far as I’m concerned, in the ministry of Jesus the greatest revelation that came out of His Ministry is that the Kingdom of God lies within. God made us in his own image and likeness. And for us to think that God looks like a man is an arrogant way of thinking.
Arrogant?
Yes, arrogant. This is why I say to understand the image you have to look at the atoms. Therefore, the atom is a manifestation of God. Because God is a manifestation of light. The whole universe is built of atoms. Therefore God is more than just a human being. The essence of God lies in the atom. The atom has at least six qualities. They are Awareness, Consciousness, Intelligence, Electro-magnetic Energy, Electrical Energy and Atomic Energy. And all these Energies culminate into Cosmic Energy.
So, where is heaven?
Heaven? There is nowhere that is not heaven. The Book of Genesis says “and every thing that God made was good.” And everything good is heaven. There is nowhere that is not heaven. In this dimension and other dimensions, it’s all heaven.
You talk about UFOs, how do you explain that phenomenon?
There’s a whole chapter dedicated to aliens in the book. There are lots of Jamaicans who have seen aliens, many people in Peru, mainly the Peruvian Indians in particular. UFOs is as common to them as airplanes are to us.
So where do they come from?
Other dimensions.
Other dimensions?
Other Galaxies in the vast Cosmos and other dimensions of consciousness as well.
Do you think there is a sixth dimension?
Seven dimensions ascending and seven descending. In my Father’s house are many mansions.
I’ve heard about people appearing from …
Nowhere?
Yes.
There are a number of factors that affect this. It is a part of physics that we really haven’t clearly understood yet, but soon, as mankind is still unraveling it. Then there are people that teleport themselves and it goes on and on. As a matter of interest, I have been to India and other places and this is what I have come across in my travels.
Astral traveling?
No, astral traveling is different. Teleportation is people being able to move from point A to point B by the speed of thought or transmutation.
Transmutation?
Being able to transmute yourself … teleport yourself. Astral traveling is different. Each of us is a soul – we’re really the soul not the body, the body is just a vehicle for the soul that is really made in the exact image and likeness of God. The soul is God. When you go to bed at night time, or when you sleep, your astral body invariably leaves you and goes traveling around the place. You are joined to your astral body through a silver cord attached to the navel …
The problem is that the same thing as the Kundalini?
No, the Kundalini is one of the Chakras. That’s a state of consciousness [which] has to do with the sex organ and it’s based in the spine. That’s why when people feel very sexy for example, they get very artistic, they write poetry, songs, make music, make love, and all various sorts of things. That’s the Kundalini fired up in action. That is what is called the creative energy and that’s the first Chakra. There are seven Chakras.
What is a shakra?
A Shakra is a point of consciousness within the body – a state of consciousness. It’s an energy field within the body. For example, when somebody dies the body drops away but the astral body is there and then after a while the astral body disappears too, because the body is the other part of the illusion, that falls away too and what’s just left is the soul and the soul is just a light, energy. And in the soul is housed all the wisdom we gained in life that we take with us. The beautiful lessons we learn, the good that we do. The life that we live spiritually and the help we provide to others all culminate as wisdom which is what blends into the astral body as the gross physical body dies. So when they die its absorbed into the astral body that resides on the astral plain and when the astral goes, that wisdom merges into the light and Bliss, because God is bliss and the soul is bliss.
And where does that exist?
It just exits. “Where” implies a place. At that point you are no longer in this dimension. Instead you reside in a dimension of consciousness. Outside the third dimension there is no “where” as everything just is.
So, those who have gone before us, are they all around?
It depends on what their belief system was. If you believe in heaven and hell – there are a lot of people who die and feel that they are not good enough to go to heaven, and feel they might have to go to hell because they did things that were negative. As they search for hell they are earth bound as a roving spirit because hell doesn’t exist. So there are earthbound spirits moving around trying to find the truth. So as we chat here now some spirits are listening to us and all of a sudden learn the truth and move on towards the light. Remember, the astral body is similar to the physical, made up of atoms that are widely spaced apart so it’s difficult for us to see them.
So what about people who say they see them?
They do. The use of the Third Eye – the “spiritual eye.” alluded to in the Bible, St. Luke, chapter 11, verses 33 to 36.
Then there are other souls who when they pass on, they believe they are destined for heaven and as they look for that heaven, because they are pure enough in terms of the life they’ve lived, they see the light and are guided to it.
So what about people who say they hear from a loved one from the “other side?”
What you have to understand is that God is pantheistic. Everything is God. The whole of the universe, all of us, are just different ornaments of the one expression of God, of cosmic energy. consciousness, awareness. God is cosmic energy and cosmic energy is intelligence creative. Everything is made up of God. So, people that hear from loved ones is just God manifesting as that loved one, to console the individual in question. For example, if you believe that Jesus is God, if you happen to have an apparition of God, He would appear as Jesus. If you believe that God is Buddha then God will appear as Buddha. If you believe that God is light He will appear as light. If you believe in the devil and strongly believe in that then the devil is going to appear to you too. It’s just a manifestation, and what create this manifestation is your thoughts, your perception of what is. You attract what you believe or what you fear, or, what you desire.
Are you still disillusioned by the Roman Catholic Church?
To say I am disillusioned would not be fair. There is a chapter in my book that deals on this topic. Why churches, temples and mosques. You know, Jesus said where two or three have gathered together in my name, I am in the midst.
How do you see Christianity vis-a-vis Islam?
It’s all good. All religions point to the way to good living. The First and true purpose of all religions is to point the way to go to living. Secondly, two teach man about love as unity and oneness as the underlying character of reality. Thirdly, to teach monism; this is the philosophy of the absolute oneness of God, the soul and the universe. But that’s not what they are teaching now. The church has become a money making institution, they got lost along the way from greed and dogma.
With dogma?
With dogma. They’ve taken the word “God,” which is a metaphysical acronym (name) that has nothing to do with religion. But religion has captured the word or borrowed the word, packaged it, codified it and is marketing it as their sole concept. So, the idea of dropping the word “God” from public use or the idea that the word God should not be used in politics is ridiculous. Because God refers to cosmic energy and every thing is energy in manifestation.
How do you see the Christ figure, because Jews don’t see Christ the way Christians see Him as the Messiah.
Jesus, for a start, was a Jew and was a Jewish rabbi. And, in reality, you could not be a rabbi in those days as a bachelor. For you to be a rabbi you had to display some form of maturity and responsibility so it was necessary to have a companion and a companion was a wife. So, if Jesus was a rabbi, that gives room for further thought of his singularity as he reflected the male manifestation of the divinity. But there had to be a balance, there had to be a female – and everybody knows who the female energy was; which is why The Da Vinci Code provides so much food for thought.
Jesus had this psychic memory, just like many of us do, of past lives, etc., etc., and had the same belief that many of us had, and have, and will have, that there is a superior being that we call “God.” And, that this God resides within us as the soul. So Jesus wanted to show this reality and set about by doing it and proving it. He proved the Divine Theorem common to all human beings. The kingdom of God lies within.
With the miracles?
No, the miracles were just a manifestation of His ability to be one with Himself, which is God. When you start searching for God you really find yourself, you know. It’s like a circle.
Well Rastafarians have found that out, they say the same thing, that “God is within I.”
Yes. There are two “I’s. I and I,” the ego “I” and there is the divine “I.” This “I” relates to the crucifixion. The miracle of the Crucifixion has a very profound lesson for all mankind. Everything that Jesus did had an underlying spiritual lesson for the world. He was a New Age teacher, teaching new philosophy, taking mankind on his next step of growth. Many do not realize we are souls in the school of life. Jesus came to teach us how to access our inner mind, but many did not have the wisdom to understand Him at the time. Another reason why Jesus was teaching us to access our inner mind was to get us in touch with our soul because the soul is who and what we are. We are foremost souls, and by nature we have a body. The body is just a vehicle for the soul. That’s why when we pass on, when we make the transition, what we term dying; we leave the body behind like a garment. The word “Christ” is taken from the Greek word “Christos” which means to be anointed. So, Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost. Or, in modern terms, Cosmic Consciousness or Sai Consciousness because in living the way of God and following the word of God, He became one with God – in other words he became one with the soul – and, therefore, became God.
What is Sai Consciousness?
The word Sai is taken from Sanskrit. The word “Sai means “Mother God” consciousness. So to carry on, the crucifixion of Jesus illustrates an emphatic message to mankind. And what the crucifixion illustrates is that the cross – if you take the cross apart, the upright in the cross refers to the ego “I” and where His hands are outstretched refers to the elimination of the ego “I” to become one with God. It is only when we have eliminated the ego that we can be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is why the yogi teaches how to eliminate the ego. He [Jesus] became one with God by eliminating His ego and that’s the message of the Crucifixion. Eliminate the ego, and that’s what Christ did. Eliminate the ego and you get Cosmic Consciousness or filled with the Holy Ghost.
So, what The Da Vinci Code is talking about …
I don’t want to talk about The Da Vinci Code, because everybody will draw a different impression of it. But, the “I” represents one. It represents one because all is one.
And one is all.
And one is all. The Fante Tribe in Ghana have the “Gy na Mai” and I do apologize to them if I have spelled it incorrectly. However, it means “God is all and all is God’s.” The Muslims have “Sab Ka Malik Ek Hai” “God is one for all.” It shows that God is all and all is God, and that love is the One and the One is God.
So, where does the animal kingdom come in to all of this, because I’ve always been made to understand that they are soulless?
That’s ridiculous. The animal kingdom is an expression of God. They are just different ornaments or expressions of God. They have feelings just like us. It is just that they do not have free choice like we do.
But, according to Christianity, animals cannot go to heaven because they don’t have souls.
That’s foolishness. They’re made up of atoms. Everything is an expression of God. The plants are God, animals are God. Everything is God. There is nothing that is not of God. All is God’s and God is all. That’s the whole essence.
How do you compare the Eastern philosophy to that of Western philosophy?
There’s no comparison. It’s not a matter of comparison, it’s just a matter of what somebody feels comfortable with or been exposed to. However If God is all and all is God’s then there’s nothing that’s wrong and there’s nothing that’s right, everything just is.
The ancient Greeks didn’t worship a God as such, they worshiped gods.
Yeah, because everybody is God. You’re God, everybody’s God. Everybody who will read this is God, but we just don’t realize it. And, instead of behaving like gods, we’re behaving the way we do.
Would you consider yourself a New Ageist thinker?
I would like to think of myself as just a thinker. The way I think is satisfying to me and if it’s compatible to others that’s wonderful. But I wouldn’t like to label myself.
How do you view the Caribbean in terms of those thinkers that we have in the development of its own philosophical ethos here in the Western Hemisphere?
That’s a heavy question you’re asking and I don’t think I have the authority to answer that. What I can share with you is that Jamaicans are very spiritual and West Indians are very spiritual. And I think the reason why we have this ability to be so spiritual is because of a number of reasons. First, we come from a very strong religious background which taught us about God from a very early age. Secondly, we are free thinkers and we find it intellectually stimulating to converse with each other on the topic of spirituality. Thirdly, we are very kind natured nation of hospitable people and happiness is a course of our life regardless of our economic position. Fourthly, we do not regard success as a monetary value. Although we enjoy it we are not chasing money and going after money as if it’s the end all and be all of life. In other words, we know how to live a quality life without going bananas over money. We are conscious of the statement ‘as are man thinketh so is he’. When we have beautiful thoughts we have a beautiful aura and radiate beautiful energy, so people enjoy gravitating around that. The home is a manifestation of the individuals in it and the community is a manifestation of the individuals that comprise of the homes. So, each country is in manifestation of the mass consciousness of the people. So, if the philosophy of the country is a philosophy of spirituality then the country itself will manifest that tendency.
Now, to interject the African aspect of that, things like Voodoo, Obeah, Shango, Santeria, which all come from Africa. Some people see these things as evil or call it black magic and some see it as an African religion.
Yeah, but the whole thing is knowledge. Sometimes, during the nighttime you look out the window you see a monster out there and the following morning when the sun rises you realize it was a tree. It’s just a lack of knowledge and fear. People fearing things they don’t understand and they don’t know about. Santeria is not negative. It’s like the priest or the parson or the clergyman saying, “I’m going to curse you” or [“I’m going to] damn you.” It frightens people and they believe it and suffer that the thought and fear of such ideas as a curse and from God. What happens is that people are very superstitious because they don’t know who and what they are. If they ever knew that they were the soul which is a reflection of God, because God made man in his own image, it would empower people. And that’s what my book is trying to do, to empower people. Self-esteem and self-confidence comes about in believing that God resides in you and if you would have faith it will guide you.
Faith sees the invisible, which is God, which is the soul. It expects the incredible and receives the impossible. That is quoted from Sai Baba. I think that’s a very fantastic way to describe what faith is all about. Like I said, we feel secure if we have the self confidence to believe the divinity resides within each of us.
OK, I’ll go one step further and ask you, what do you get from the aphorism: “Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity?”
Like an animal. If you back up an animal it is going to fight like a dog, like a bear, like a wolf. Once to you are at the lowest ebb of your being, there are two choices, one, is to either commit suicide or to take a deep breath and get up, dust off [yourself] and move on. And in the book I say a few things about suicide that will make people think twice before doing something like that. When you are down, once you believe in God, and look into yourself by becoming introspective, God gives you the energy, will, power, force and drive to pick a up and move on. Because life goes on, once you have good health and faith, the sky’s the limit.
So, what about someone who has a terminal illness and commits suicide?
That’s not a smart decision, because they could have been healed miraculously. Also, people who are ill are burning up negative karma. In other words they are burning of their sins so when they commit suicide they are depriving themselves of being absolved and have to reincarnate another time to neutralize that experience. And they will come back again and again until the soul gets it right. So, instead of that person coming back on a higher vibratory plain, as a more conscious spiritual being, they come back on a low ebb. For example, the Lord’s Prayer, when I go to church and I hear them say the Lord’s Prayer fast and it pains me. The Lord’s Prayer is a message on how to achieve cosmic consciousness or be filled with the Holy Spirit. If you follow the instructions of Lord’s Prayer you would never get sick. The prayer says, “Our father” – meaning the father is one, not my father but “our’ – it’s all one; “who art in heaven” – heaven is everywhere, there’s nowhere that is not heaven – “holy be thy name – what’s the name of God? “ I am.” “I am that I am.” God did not say “I am tomorrow, I am the future, I am the past, I was, I will be.” He says, “I am.” The present, right here right now. That is why the present is a gift, because once we live in the present we live in our divinity, in the now.
With the Lord’s Prayer, what I wanted to point out is where it says “forgive my debts as I have forgiven my debtors”. That applies not only to people you have transgressed or that have transgressed you, in this life for which you wish to forgive and be forgiven, but it applies to all those in your past lives – so that if you don’t ask for these debts and debtors to be forgiven then you will not be pardoned by divine grace.
So, many people who make the transition or die do so without a asking for forgiveness for all the sins that they have committed – transgressions and that they have committed in previous lives to other people. There are also people who have died without forgiving other people in this life that have transgressed them. It is very important when you say the Lord’s Prayer to ask forgiveness not just in this life but in previous lives, as well. That’s why my book is called Expanding and the Boundaries of Self, taking people out of a closet and putting them into the wide open space to see the magnificence that lies within and without.
How is the book doing in terms of sales, right now?
It takes about three years to get a book really off the ground and the book is positioned well. It is accessible to all book stores around the world. In the next stage of the development is to make it known and the way is to make it known is [through] book reviews, interviews, radio, TV, the print media and also on the lecture circuit. I’ve been giving presentations to rotary clubs and various clubs and associations and will continue to do so when invited.
What’s the response been like?
So far positive. I have been getting a positive feed back. The message I bring is a breath of fresh air for many readers. For fundamental Christians it provides a forum for deep discussion which is good, if they have the nerve to read it. A few told me that they have not read it because of the title as they so they do not believe in Magic. However, so far I have found that the majority of the people enjoy it and appreciate it as a reference manual. In other words, they never think about things like this and it’s wonderful to read and they connect with it.
Your life has gone down that many paths, of how would you describe the journey thus far?
Fantastic. If I died this moment, in my last breath all that I could say is, “Thank you Father God for a wonderful life.” I’ve have enjoyed it!
I met you first as a student at Munro College, how would you regard the education that you received and how has it affected your life?
Second to none. Absolutely second to none. That is the reason why in the acknowledgement section of the book I have mentioned friends as far back to the time I was ten years old. I have recognized my past teachers, like Henry Fowler at Priory School, Richard Roper, Mervyn Morris and Steven Harle, and a number of other people who have contributed to the sum total of who I am today.
In the world of business, having had a wide range of experiences, how would you describe the experience of having worked with Gordon “Butch” Stewart and what did you learn from him?
I would say from a business point of view that's one of the greatest privileges that I had was to work with Butch Stewart. And I learned things from being with Butch, because I find Butch a dynamic person and I regard him as one of my mentors as well. That was an invaluable experience I had with him, having him as my direct boss and learning a lot from him. He is blessed and so am I for that experience.
What did you learn from him?
Confidence, trust, respect and how to harness staff as an integral part of a Corporate family. Every company is made up of individuals and the most important aspect of the company besides the profit is the staff that gave you the ability to make that profit. Without the proper training and the staff functioning as a team and being recognized and appreciated as a member of that company’s family then you can’t get excellence from them. Butch Stewart in those days made his staff feel they were the most important aspect of his life. They were his family and they put out the maximum effort of their ability to work with him, because he was able to motivate them.
Do you see him as a motivator?
Without a doubt, he is a motivator, because his life is inspiring to others. His drive is inspiring and to others.
During your aide de camp years at King’s House in the 1960s, what did that experience do for you in terms of your later life?
Apart from the experience gained on professional side, the social side allowed me to meet many people and gave me a fine exposure to the finer things in life. It also contributed to enhancing my life over the years, especially when I was in the corporate arena.
What do you think of the Governor General’s role nowadays, do you think it should still exist?
In fairness, countries like to have a head of state they can look up to and admire. We are so accustomed to having a figure such as a king or queen or head of state as a role model, so from that point of view I think it’s a very good. It sets a sort of standard of performance, character and pride for the youth and adults. It also gives the country as sense of pride.
What did you get out of Sandhurst?
The training at Sandhurst in those days was intensive and concentrated physically, mentally, spiritually and socially. In retrospect it was tantamount to being brutal (smile). The training at Sandhurst was exceptionally memorable.
How long were you in the military?
Including Sandhurst, eleven and-a-half years.
Really? That was a good portion of time.
True. And when I came out of it I was like a little kid leaving school in terms of facing the wide world, I got protected by an institution.
So, how did you cope?
It took me over five years to get out of the military mindset.
What is your take on Jamaica’s development to date? Would you care to talk about that?
Not really because my forte is in spirituality and not politics. Apart from that, I am proud that we have a female prime minister for the first time. I want to use this opportunity to wish her all the very best and hope she surrounds herself with the best in terms of getting the advice, guidance, support any leader needs to do exceptionally well. Should there be anything I could do to assist her, besides prayer, I would be delighted.
As a philosophical poet, who are some of your favorite poets?
I have not read that many books on poetry, not really. I just haven’t.
What about Khalil Gibran or Omar Khayyam?
Omar Khayyam and Khalil Gibran are the best. I wouldn’t even class my poetry to theirs in any way.
You’ve won a poetry award.
Yes, but I still would not class my poems anywhere of that stature. Khalil Gibran is one of the Bibles that I follow in terms of philosophical poetry and prose. I love Khalil Gibran. I have given away numerous books of his as presents, mainly The Prophet. I actually wrote my poetry specifically for the book. I haven’t written any poetry since.
So, how did you win that award for poetry?
I entered a poem in the International Society of Poets and won that award for outstanding achievement in poetry in August, 2004.
From your book?
I began writing the book ten years ago and dedicated the last five years solely on completing the book, but did the poems specifically for the book.
At age 60, how do you see the rest of your life?
Well, it’s difficult to believe that I’m really 60 years of age, I still think I’m 35. I am frozen in time.
Well, as they say age it is only a number, it’s how you look at life.
So, do you want to know how I look at the last sixty years of my life or the next sixty?
Well, you tell me.
Live one day at a time. In the now, always stay in the present and you never age because the present is always now.
Who is Oliver Jobson?
He doesn’t exist. It’s like a tag, it’s like a license plate. Just a soul. Oliver Jobson is just an identification of that soul. Just like a license plate identifies a car. Oliver Jobson just identifies the body.
What is it that you would like readers to come away with from your book?
I wrote the book for the purpose of taking people beyond the mental and spiritual vacuum [in] which we find ourselves. I want to wake them from their slumber, so I would feel good if at the end of reading the book they would feel edified, that it took them one step beyond and was able to help them, no matter how small, I would feel very satisfied.
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